1. Field
The invention is in the field of pipe couplings to connect pipes, pipe fittings, and valves provided with grooves in their end portions.
2. State of the Art
Currently couplings sold by Victaulic Company of America, Easton, Pa. under the Trade Mark, “VICTAULIC” are used for grooved end pipe, and the company holds numerous U.S. Patents. The Victaulic coupling is generally made of two arcuate pieces, where their ends with inner radial flanges are keyed into (i.e. mounted into) grooves constructed around the end portions of two pipes, to connect the two pipes. First, the pipes are aligned, then a single bridging seal gasket is mounted over the two ends of the aligned pipes held in end-to-end relationship. The inventor of this invention holds a number of patents to connect pipes with the cylindrical couplings. In the case of couplings presently on the market, when the gasket is required to be replaced, at least one link of pipe is pulled out of the pipeline. In the case of large size pipe, the pipe is sawed near the coupling itself, and the cut out piece is replaced by a new stub of pipe having a groove, where a new stub piece is welded to fill the gap left behind by the cutting and removal of the pipe section from the old pipe. The invented coupling, invented with crossable means for the coupling, provides Crossable Means as a unit, which can be used with other cylindrical couplings that require radial grooves around cylindrical backup rings, which cylindrical backup rings are mounted around the end portions of pipes as backup rings for seal gaskets and also to connect the end portions of pipes, or to connect the end portions of valves and fittings to pipes. From here on, the connecting together of two ends of pipes, or the connecting of an end of a valve with an end of a pipe, will be considered one and the same. Crossable means in the invented coupling will be referred to as “Crossable Inner Means” or “Crossable Means” for cylindrical couplings, which means can be crossed among other cylindrcial couplings. It is clear that if Crossable Inner Means can be standardized for use with other cylindrical couplings, the cost to produce such inner means will thereby be reduced, and the overall cost of the couplings will also be reduced due to economy of scale during production. The invented coupling is made with two or more cylindrical arcuate pieces, where each piece is provided with an inner radial flange at each of its two ends. Each said piece is positioned concentrically around a partitioner ring, preferably by means of at least one screw or anchor bolt. Two pipes are connected by keying said radial inner flanges of said arcuates inside of grooves constructed around the end portions of cylindrical backup rings which are mounted around the end portions of said two pipes. The Crossable Means from here on are defined as a set, where the set includes a partitioner ring having at least one or more circumferentially threaded radial hole or holes, so that at least one arcuate piece of the outer body of the coupling, concentric with the partitioner ring, can be attached to the partitioner ring by means of at least one screw or anchor bolt; and where said partitioner ring separates two gaskets, where each said gasket is designed to be seated around the end portion of one of the two pipes being connected by means of the invented coupling, and each gasket is provided with a special cylindrical backup ring, which has an external circumferential groove and an inner radial flange in its front end portion, and, preferably, a 180 degree open ended cylindrical radial groove at its outer end to lock two flat arcuate plates inside of the groove; and the backup ring can be attached to the circumferentially constructed shoulder around the end portion of pipe by positioning said shoulder around pipe between the inner flange of the backup ring and cylindrical arcuate flat plates mounted inside of the inner radial groove at the outer end of the backup ring.
An object of this invention of this coupling is to provide a set of typical Crossable Inner Means for the outer body of the invented coupling, which typical Crossable Inner Means can be used with other cylindrical couplings, and with couplings invented by the inventor under U.S. Pat. No. 6,921,115 B2; U.S. Pat. No. 5,387,017; U.S. Pat. No. 6,186,560 B1, U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,988, to cut cost of production of a set of typical Crossable Inner Means based on economy of scale.
Another object of this invention is to standardize the radial sizes of the typical Crossable Inner Means and their lengths, and enabling other cylindrical crossover couplings to use the invented set of typical crossable Inner Means, which from hereon will be called, Crossable Means.
Another object of this invention is to have Crossable Means, which enable the coupling to be an expansion joint, thus eliminating the need of separate expansion joints for the pipes.
Another object of this invention is to provide auxiliary means for Crossable Means, which can be means to hang the pipe from a structure inside or outside of the building.
Another object of this invention is to makes it easier to mount gaskets around the end portions of pipes and make it easier to replace gaskets when the need rises.
Another object of this invention is to make it easier to connect arcuate pieces of the invented coupling to the end portions of cylindrical backup rings.
Another object of this invention is to provide a spacer partitioner ring having an inner diameter equal to the inner diameter of the two pipes being connected, and equal to the inner diameter of the smaller diameter in the case of reducer fitting, wherein the partitioner ring can be removed when the gasket is needs to be changed.
Another object of the invention is to provide mechanical adjuster assembly (or assemblies) means to adjust the distance between grooves constructed around the cylindrical backup rings, so as to provide the proper distance.
Another object of this invention is to provide cylindrical backup rings, where each said backup ring can be provided with a locking ring to lock the end flanges of arcuates inside the grooves provided circumferentially around said backup rings.
Another object of this invention is to provide a partitioner ring with radial threaded holes to attach bridging arcuates between backup rings by means of screws or anchor bolts, where said radial holes may serve as means to attach a temporary angle bolt or T bolts to mount the partitioner ring into the opening of the monolithic cylindrical coupling, or to dismount the partitioner ring there from, when the seal gasket is replaced.